Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training with the Wii-balance board on balance and balance-related skills of children with poor motor performance. Twenty-nine children (23 boys, 6 girls; aged 7-12 years) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to an experimental and control group. All children scored below the 16th percentile on a standardized test of motor ability and balance skills (Movement Assessment Battery for children (M-ABC-2)). Before and after a six-week Wii-intervention (M = 8 h, 22 min, SD = 53 min), the balance skills of the experimental group and control group were measured with the M-ABC-2 and the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency (BOT-2). Both groups improved on all tests. The M-ABC-2 and the BOT-2 total balance-scores of the experimental group improved significantly from pre to post intervention, whereas those of the control group showed no significant progress. This resulted in significant interaction-effects, favoring the experimental children. No transfer-effects of the intervention on balance-related skills were demonstrated. Our findings showed that the Wii-balance board is an effective intervention for children with poor balance control. Further development and investigation of the intervention could be directed toward the implementation of the newly acquired balance-skills in daily life. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2996-3003 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Research in Developmental Disabilities |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept-2013 |
Keywords
- Balance
- Motor performance
- Wii-intervention
- Children
- DEVELOPMENTAL COORDINATION DISORDER
- POSTURAL CONTROL
- IMPLICIT
- METAANALYSIS
- FEEDBACK
- DCD